You read that correctly, we’re wrapping up the Filling You In with A-Squared podcast series, as Drs. Anushka Gaglani and Abhishek Nagaraj explore other channels for sharing lessons learned and the formulas that have spurred and sustained their success growing Areo Dental Group into a thriving business in the Chicago area over the last decade. Over these thirty episodes, A-Squared have had the wonderful opportunity to draw out insights from leaders and innovators across dentistry, other healthcare sectors and business. “On this final episode, we’re taking a step back to synthesize what we heard, highlight the themes that kept showing up, and share the ideas that genuinely reflected and influenced how we think about leadership, systems, and growth,” says Dr. Gaglani.

Key observations include:

• How high-performing organizations are built on systems, not personality or instinct;
• Why growth emerges not from chasing tactics, but from disciplined sequencing;
• Why culture is not aspirational language, it’s a carefully built system;
• What they learned from the experience of being interviewers.

This is a thoughtful close to the series, and a practical lens on how strong organizations are built. Thanks for joining us!

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

Could you work closely every day with your life partner? How about running a busy and expanding business?On this episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, Drs. Anushka Gaglani and Abhishek Nagaraj share the model that has spurred and sustained their success growing Areo Dental Group into a thriving business in the Chicago area over the last decade. For Dr. Gaglani, clear ownership of responsibilities is key. “Early on at our first practice, we were both involved in most decisions which felt collaborative, but in practice it created overlap, rework, and confusion for our team about where final decisions actually came from,” she shares. Clearly defined lanes based on each person’s strengths also accelerate decision making speed and quality, a big plus for a growing enterprise.

And what about the disagreements that are bound to come up between all business managers? The key here, Dr. Nagaraj says, is separating issues from individuals. “Not all disagreement is bad, right? So we’ve made it part of the governance structure and make sure that it is framed around criteria and not positions, and certainly not around ego.”

You’ll also learn about these crucial topics:

• How to maintain boundaries between work and home;
• Preventing the executive partnership from being a bottleneck;
• Why working together at the executive level requires more structure, not less.

This is an honest, fascinating look at the personal dynamics and operational framework that allows the business and private spheres to thrive simultaneously.

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

This is a must-listen episode for anyone involved in taking over a business and trying to move it to profitability as quickly as possible. “In our experience, speed doesn't come from doing everything at once. It comes from understanding what actually matters first, what can wait, and what will quietly break the business if you ignore it,” says Dr. Anushka Gaglani, Co-CEO at Areo Dental Group.

And, as she and her business and life partner Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj share on this on this episode of Filling You In, keeping the long game in mind is also critically important. “We're not just thinking about getting back to profitability. We're thinking about building something that can stay really healthy after that initial push is over,” he says.

Drawing on their experience successfully turning around multiple practices in the Chicago area, Anushka and Abhishek offer tested approaches to handling the many moving parts in these projects, including:

• The three core benchmarking layers;
• Distinguishing symptoms from root causes;
• Change management and team buy-in.

You’ll leave this conversation with a roadmap of practical steps and leadership moves that can shape your own business journey, plus the kind of candid advice that’s hard to come-by as we continue this super informative five-part series.

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

“Over time, and honestly through a lot of pressure, we learned that culture isn't something that’s just nice to talk about, it's a system underneath every decision, every handoff, every patient interaction, and every leadership moment.” That’s just one example of the hard-earned, candid wisdom you’ll be hearing from spouses Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj on this episode of Filling You In as we continue their super informative five-part series sharing the inside story of how they’ve built their thriving business, Areo Dental Group.

As you’ll discover in these dynamic conversations, they do not hold back on revealing lessons learned -- sometimes the hard way -- on what it really takes to grow, lead, and sustain a high-performing, patient-centered organization.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Moving from culture by example to culture by design;
• Why psychological safety is essential for surfacing problems early;
• How every hire and promotion reshapes culture;
• Guarding against cultural drift.

Don’t miss this special conversation packed with practical insights that can shape your own business and leadership journey.

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

Wisdom Drop Warning! This episode of Filling You In: A Dental Podcast with A-squared kicks off a unique and super informative five-part series in which dentist entrepreneurs Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj share the inside story of how they have built Areo Dental Group, a thriving business in the Chicago area, over the last decade. As you’ll discover in these dynamic conversations, they do not hold back on revealing the lessons they’ve learned -- sometimes the hard way -- on what it really takes to grow, lead, and sustain a high-performing, patient-centered organization.

From turning around underperforming practices to managing conflict to building culture to working together as spouses, these episodes are packed with practical, honest insights that can shape your own business journey. Whether you’re a practice owner, emerging leader, or entrepreneur, this series offers a valuable, unfiltered look at what it takes to help employees reach their potential, and build an organization of lasting value.

In this episode on their leadership and management philosophy, you’ll learn about:

• Leadership by design (systems over personality)
• Transparent performance management
• The “leaf-branch-trunk-root” distributed decision making model
• How to manage conflict

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

“I think turning fear into growth and frustration into opportunity serve you well in entrepreneurship and in life,” says Shiv Gaglani, MD, the founding partner of Ganglia Ventures, who racked up major wins in both realms before he turned forty. Reframing his emotions is just one enlightened element in the formula that has led to Shiv’s remarkable record of accomplishment that includes earning undergraduate degrees in engineering and health policy, as well as an MBA, from Harvard; shepherding the popular and influential Osmosis medical education platform from a start-up to a successful exit; and earning a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. Throw in Forbes contributor, Tedx speaker, author, triathlete, and you are starting to get the picture. On this very special episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group -- who happen to be Shiv’s sister and brother-in-law -- explore the insights he gained throughout his journey and learn about his approach to personal and professional fulfillment.

Highlights include:

• How Osmosis applied insights from social media and streaming platforms to improve medical education.
• The importance of having deep empathy with your customers.
• His current areas of investment interest, from K-12 education to proactive healthcare.

Don’t miss this wisdom-packed and lively conversation with three successful entrepreneurs reflecting on the key factors to individual and business growth, and the lifelong pursuit of learning.

Mentioned in this episode:

Ganglia Ventures

Areo Dental Group

“Conflict isn’t positive or negative, it’s neutral. It’s what you do with it that determines the outcome,” says Dina Lynch Eisenberg, founder of Talkola, a new AI-powered simulator designed to help leaders practice and improve their conflict resolution skills. In this lively Filling You In conversation with Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group, Eisenberg draws on her decades of experience as an ombuds, mediator, and organizational health expert for clients such as Twitter, Bank of America, and Coca-Cola, to reveal how the superpower of “conflict readiness” can be a competitive advantage for dental practices and other teams, especially when it comes to employee retention. She also illuminates the often overlooked factor of “shadow friction” that erodes trust and productivity over time. Tune in to find out how Talkola’s AI coaching environment helps leaders build confidence through realistic role-play, turning avoidance into empowerment and workplace friction into growth.

With a mantra of “less drama, more dentistry,” Dina also addresses:

• Tips for turning tension into teamwork.
• How developing conflict skills protects culture, profit, and peace of mind.
• Why conflict readiness is the next frontier of organizational resilience.

Mentioned in this episode:
Talkola

Areo Dental Group

Regular listeners to Filling You In with A-Squared have heard many of our guests discuss the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in dentistry, but the focus has mainly been on its use for improving patient flow and operational efficiency. Today, we want to look at AI’s role in patient care, including the development and approval of treatment plans. For that, we turn to Dr. Wardah Inam, the Co-Founder and CEO of Overjet, a leading provider of AI technology for the dental industry, which in just a few years has already had an impact on making dentistry more clinically precise and patient-focused. As Dr. Inam tells hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group, AI-enhanced images produced by Overjet can increase patient comprehension. “People don't understand how to read x-rays, so having a tool that can put colors and annotations and markups on it and bring that x-ray more to life can communicate the diagnosis more effectively with patients.”

This engaging conversation with Dr. Inam – who has been ranked among the 32 most influential people in dentistry and listed by Inc. Magazine as a Top 100 Female Founder – also covers:

• Overjet’s role in smoothing out interactions with insurance plans
• How dental schools are using Overjet’s technology
• Varying acceptance of AI technology among dentists

Mentioned in this episode:
Overjet AI

Areo Dental Group